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The latest dispatch from Don Cox is this Kodachrome dated October 1958. Judging by the mayhem on the roof below I'd say we're somewhere in the Wild, Wild West, where the men are men and the Thunderbirds are pink. (Yes, it's Reno. Also: Cash for Cars!) View full size.
This article about the Smith family's Harold's Club explains the western scene thusly:
The Smiths, in fact, seemed fascinated with Native Americans, especially those on the attack, and the club's short-lived Fort Smith attraction featured a rooftop tableau of American Indians assailing the fort while soldiers fought them off.
... the lower left No U Turn sign. What's that nearby blue car doing? This pic is full of funny.
[It's making a left turn from East Commercial Row onto Virginia Street, LOL. - Dave]
The ornate ironwork in the lower left is the original "RENO -- The Biggest Little City in the World" sign.
Having lived in Reno, I often wonder how many people have sold their cars for a bus ticket home and a few more days of gambling. Gambling is everywhere, you'll even find slot machines at the grocery store.
I don’t even see a stop sign. Gosh, remember when not all city intersections had 4-way stop signs, and there were even some – like maybe this one here – that were uncontrolled intersections, with no stop sign or light, and people simply understood the concept of right of way? Now you’ve got to spell it out at every corner.
[There's a single (presumably blinking) red light visible at each of the other intersections. Perhaps this one was caught between blinks. - Dave]
Like maybe a traffic light? Will that T-bird get T-boned?
If the T-bird was a '57, then that could be Steve and Toad gassing up the '58 Chevy at the Flying A Station. They would be getting ready for cruising tonight and maybe running into Bob Falfa
The photo was taken from the tower of Harold's Club looking at the roof of the Colony Casino, which was advertised as being "At the Reno Arch."
[Harold's Club was the robbery target in the 1955 film noir "5 Against the House." - Dave]
Even the railroad tracks have gone underground. How did the St. Francis survive?
The photo is showing the corner of Virginia (old 395) and Commercial Row. Not much has survived, but I found a ghost sign for the St. Francis Hotel:
It's fun to imagine how they had to get their camera angles so as to avoid the TV antenna. And meanwhile downstairs somewhere they were watching the latest episode of Lone Ranger or Cisco Kid (my favorite at the time).
Judging from the sign for senator Howard W. Cannon, this photo must be from somewhere in Nevada.
But it doesn't look like Las Vegas. Maybe it's Reno?
[Could the arch at lower left be a clue? - Dave]
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